After the Victory
by LAByrinith
Summary: Takes place right after Eliwood's party defeats Nergal, and some of them think that they will never have to fight again...
1. A Dark and Stormy Night

After the Victory  
  
Okay, this is my new Fire Emblem fanfiction. I think it should be better than my first one (longer chapters anyway), but see what you think of it. So here it goes...

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It was almost midnight. The sky was black and thick with clouds. Rain poured in watery bullets over the wooded landscape. Blasts of thunder erupted from the sky, and were the only things louder than the waterfall of rain. A few jagged bolts of lightning broke across the gray clouds, giving out temporary bursts of light and eerily shadowing the trunks of trees. There was a small, dirt trail between the trees that ran in a relatively strait-forward path. A hooded figure in a black cloak drifted along the path, barely making a sound and hardly seemed to touch it as he walked. The harsh wind rushed over his cloak, making it look like a rippling shadow in the middle of the raging storm. Every so often, a shot of lightning would brighten his face, but his eyes were hidden behind the dark hood of his cloak.  
He went steadily down the path until he could see a building ahead with light in the windows. It was but a large cabin in the middle of the forest, used as a bar and an inn for the few travelers that come there. It was noisy inside, but the sounds could not be heard well from outside in the pounding rain and booming thunder. The figure proceeded towards the inn, his cloak completely saturated with rainwater. When he reached the wooden door, he clasped its bronze handle with a cold, pale hand. A boom of thunder roared as he did so. When he slowly pushed the old door open, it creaked on its hinges.  
The noise of talking and beer mugs replaced the roaring of the storm, but wasn't any less quiet. The figure in black threw back his wet hood and said, "My goodness, there certainly is an immoderate storm out there today." A few men at the bar turned to the speaker. "Hey, Canas, you made it!" exclaimed the young man with blue hair and armor of the same color, but a darker shade. Canas nodded to the lord. "Good to see you again, Lord Hector." he said. The man beside Hector raised his large mug of foaming beer. "Ello thar, Canas! Come an' join us!" he slurred. Canas gave the maroon-haired warrior a look and chuckled to himself as he took a seat on the barstool on the other side of Hector. "Ah, Geitz, you know I don't drink." he said. "But this be a special occasion!" Geitz protested. Canas ignored his drunken words and pulled out a book from his cloak and started to read it.  
This was indeed a special occasion, however. For just the day before, Lord Eliwood and his companions successfully defeated the evil Lord Nergal. Canas continued reading his book of dark magic spells until drops of beer splashed onto the pages and soaked into the paper. He looked to where the drink had sprayed from and saw Hector chugging down his alcoholic beverage. Canas gave him a repulsed look and said, "Ah, Hector, you disgust me sometimes." He closed the book and got out of his seat, then moved to a table where a group of his fellow magic wielders sat. He took a seat in the empty chair beside Erk, the mage. Across from him was Lucius the monk, who had a half-empty mug of beer with him. "Oh, not you too, Lucius!" Canas complained as the monk took a gulp of the beverage. "Don't you think heavy drinking is unholy?" Lucius smirked at the question. "Nothing is unholy at times like this." he replied. Canas groaned and hit his head on the table's hard, wooden surface.  
"So...Erk, where's that Serra girl? I thought she always followed you around." asked Pent, who was sitting next to Lucius. A smile came to Erk's usually expressionless face. "I think I finally got rid of her." he said. Of course, just after he said this, the young cleric called to him. "Oh! There you are, Erky!" Erk clenched his fists and muttered swear words under his breath. Pent sniggered at Erk's bad luck as Serra skipped over to the table. She put her arms around the mage and said, "Erky, where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you!" Erk struggled to free himself from her grip, and ended up falling out of his chair. A few heads turned when he slammed to the ground and cursed loudly.  
Other than those few, everyone was having a good time eating, talking, and drinking after the fight with Nergal. However, Lord Eliwood had gone upstairs and not yet come down. Someone said he had locked himself in his room with their female tactician, who had not been seen since the final battle. Whatever the reason, he did not show up at the bar, and no one seemed to worry about it. All of Eliwood's friends were celebrating at the inn that dark and stormy night.   
All, that is, except two cavaliers...


	2. A Wet and Cloudy Morning

Sain looked down at the shriveled piece of meat on his plate that was supposedly a sausage. He shifted in his seat on the wet grass from the rain the night before and then let out a sigh. His companion, Kent, noticed Sain's disappointment. He stood a few feet away with the tip of a lance in the moist earth, the top of its shaft in the palm of his hand. "Sain..." he started. Sain looked up at his friend through emerald green eyes. "Why couldn't we have gone to the party last night? Now I'll probably never see any of those beautiful ladies ever again." he complained sadly. "Look, Sain, I told you, we have things we need to be doing besides getting all over the girls." Kent said. "I know, but I can't help it. I just want to see Lady Lindis again...Or maybe Rebecca, or Nino, or Priscilla as well, or perhaps Isadora, or..." Sain continued reciting the names of all the girls, while Kent ignored him and added twigs to the small fire over which they cooked their breakfast.  
"...or Serra, Florina, Fiora..." Sain continued. Kent started to get annoyed and spoke up. "Sain, don't let your...well, often sick thoughts get in the way of our duties. Now go on and eat your breakfast while I get things ready for the trip." Sain sighed again, and sank his fork into the stick of meat. Hot, sputtering juices seeped out from where it had been punctured. He lifted the fork and gazed at the limp sausage that was stuck on the prongs. The hot liquids from inside rolled down the fork and stung his hand, but he didn't seem to notice the pain that much. His mind was filled with lovely images of the girls he had battled alongside. Kent felt somewhat sorry for his best friend as he set down his silver lance, but there was nothing that could be done.  
He sat next to Sain and checked the two eggs that sizzled on a pan resting over the small, orange flames. "Do you want any eggs?" he asked Sain, who was still staring blankly at the shriveled meat. "Um...I guess not then." Kent said, getting himself one of the fried eggs. It was pretty quiet that morning, except for the sound of the remaining egg sizzling and the grazing of Sain and Kent's horses on the dew drop sprinkled grass.  
  
"Hey, are you going to eat that or what?" asked Kent about ten minutes later. "Yeah." Sain sighed. He took a bite of the warm sausage and forced himself to swallow it. It wasn't that the brown, limp stick of meat had a bad taste; it was mainly because he was more disappointed than hungry. By the time he had finished eating it, Kent had packed all the necessary supplies for their travels. They didn't have much left after the battle with Nergal; most of their weapons had broken and they only had 100 gold and a vulnerary to take with them besides a silver and steel lance.  
  
As they mounted their steeds, Sain realized how sore his hand was. The hot grease from the sausage had dripped down the back of his hand to his wrist, and he had failed to notice the crimson, swollen burns before. It was nothing major, and he expected to be fine by the end of the week. Of course, it was very uncomfortable for him to hold his horse's reins. It sort of reminded him of the final battle, how he had taken a great injury from Flametongue. It was a miracle that he lived. He would have been a well- done chunk of meat on a horse had Pent not had a healing staff. Sain was envious of Pent because the sage was married to a beautiful, blond haired sniper. Sain wished greatly to get married to someone like her, but Kent figured that it wasn't likely to happen. Sain tended to...bother the ladies.  
  
The two cavaliers traveled through the rain-soaked woodland on rain-soaked horses along a rain-soaked trail in rain-soaked armor. After a while, Sain's mind started to drift. His imagination started to daydream fantasies of him and the girls that he once went into battle with. Kent, in the lead, said, "Look out for these low-hanging branches, Sain," as he ducked under a thick limb. Sain, following, and still in his thoughts, smacked into the branch headfirst and awoke from his daydream as he was thrown from his mount and hit the wet earth beneath him. Kent sighed and rushed back to his fallen companion. "Sain, I told you to be careful." he said. "You did?" Sain asked from the ground, a hand on he bruise above his eye. Another sigh came from Kent. "Yes, but I suppose you didn't see that branch because you were too busy staring at what your mind put before you." "Yeah...Lyn has some quite lustful features..." Sain replied with a smile. The red haired knight looked down at the hapless Sain from his horse. "Well let's just hope you didn't break any bones from that fall." said Kent. "Well let's see..." Sain said, sitting up painfully. "I landed on my arm here, but I doubt it's injured more than a few bruises, and-" His analysis was interrupted by some violent movement in the bushes nearby.   
"Damn it Matthew, give that to me!" shouted a familiar voice. "No! Now get away unless you want a scar on the other side of your face!" replied Matthew. The two thieves Legult and Matthew fell onto the path a few feet from the knights. Matthew had a jet-black parchment clenched in one hand and a white quill pen in the other. Legult was on Matthew's back, a hand on Matthew's wrist of the hand that held the pen, his arm around the thief's neck. Struggling for air, Matthew freed his wrist from Legult's grip and let the pen make contact with the paper. "No! Don't sign it!" Legult shouted. Sain and Kent looked at the two, completely speechless, and wondered if the thieves even noticed them. Most likely not. Legult hit Matthew in the back of the head as he wrote the first three letters of his name in fancy lettering on the dotted line at the bottom of the black contract, which led him to making the first "t" of his name look like an odd scribble. The two wrestled back behind some shrubs, Matthew barely signing the rest of his name with the red ink.   
He was the first to emerge from the trees after the movement had stopped. Something seemed different about him. His clothes were darker, his cape matched the stains on the swords at his sides, and his brown eyes had a malicious look to them. His movements were stealthier as well. "Hello, old friends!" he greeted, as if nothing had happened. Kent stared for a moment, and was the first to respond. "Well, I'm amazed." He said. Sain stood up from the ground and brushed off the dirt. "Me too." he said, "I didn't know you went that way." Kent resisted hitting him over the head, and Matthew just glared warningly. "I don't." he replied. Sain cleared his throat. "Oh, my apologies, let me rephrase that...I didn't know _Legult _went that way." "Sain!" Kent snapped. Legult rose from the bushes, scratched up by twigs and thorns, some of which were tangled in his gray hair and torn clothes. "I don't either. This fool over here stole my Fell Contract." Sain looked from Legult to Matthew, and then said, "But you're thieves. Isn't that what you do?" "Well...yes," Legult admitted, "but he signed it!" Matthew smiled. "Yup, now I'm a rightful assassin!" he said proudly while Legult grumbled cruel things under his breath.   
"Well, just try not to get at each other's throats." said Kent. "Yeah, I think Matt would win." Sain added as he mounted his steed. Matthew leapt aside to let the equestrian knights pass, and was then thrown to the ground by Legult. Kent, still in the lead, ducked under another low tree branch a few feet up the path. "Sain, make sure you don't run into the- " _Thunk! _

And, once again, Kent sat on his horse and let out a sigh. A long, pitiful sigh.


	3. Annoyance and Fruit

Back at the sunlit cabin, most of the people had gone home, or were on their way. Erk and Canas were dragging the unconscious Lucius outside onto the dirt path. "Ah, I simply can not believe him sometimes." Canas said. Erk let go of the young monk, and Canas fell down in trying to hold up Lucius's weight by himself. "Yeah, that was rather unlike him." Erk replied, "But look on the bright side, he got rid of Serra for me. Heh, guess I owe him for that." Canas got up and then looked from Erk to the monk. "Well, I do have my doubts that he shall remember anything." he said. "Huh, you think?" Erk laughed. They both looked down at him for a while before Erk asked "So should we leave him here?" Canas opened his mouth to speak, but before he got the chance, a high, girly voice called out, "Erky!"

Turning to their left, they saw the cute girl with her staff in hand. She winked at them. "Serra, may I ask, what are you doing here?" Canas asked. "_Well_," Serra replied, lightly pushing the scholar aside, "I just wanted to see my Erky!" she said as she approached the mage, who backed away with every step she took closer. "Um...I do believe that you can quite well see without getting that close to him." Canas said. "Serra, why don't you go on home?" Erk, who had been backed up against a tree, suggested. Serra frowned. "You're no fun, Erky." she said before stomping off back into the woods. Canas watched her go, and had a sick feeling inside that they hadn't seen the last of her.

Meanwhile, Sain and Kent continued their travel. They had left the forest mostly undamaged, besides the bruises on Sain's forehead. They were now heading across a field of tall, golden grass. In the distance, towers could be seen amongst the mountains. The two knights were headed for these towers. "Man, this is some freaking tall grass!" Sain said as he looked at the weeds that were almost as tall as his horse. "Keep your voice down, Sain. We could get ambushed in a place like this." Kent said quietly. "But look at it, Kent! Someone seriously needs to fix their lawn." Sain exclaimed. Kent suddenly halted. "Shut up, Sain, I heard something!" he whispered harshly. "Probably a pheasant." Sain replied. "Sain!" Kent snapped. A gang of five sand-colored birds fluttered out of the grass immediately after, chirping wildly.

Kent watched them disappear into the distance as Sain went around him and said "See? Pheasants! Now quit being so paranoid, Kent." Unfortunately, just as he said this, an old, cranky voice called out, "What? Who's there? Get the hell outta my field!" Sain stopped circling Kent, and was still with fear on his mount. "Ah, now look what you've done!" Kent growled. "No time to reason with him, so we'll have to do what you always end up doing." he continued. Sain gave him a look. "Flirting?" Kent shot one back. "No, I mean run like hell." he said before dashing downhill on his steed. Sain thought for a moment. "Run like hell, huh? Ha! I'm no coward!" And the old voice came closer. "You! Where are ya!? I'll tear you to bits! I was a general back in my day!" That was all Sain needed to hear to bolt down to catch up to his friend.

By the time the old man had reached the end of his field, where the hill began to slope, the mounted knights were but specks in the green hills below. Catching his breath, the large, bald man said to himself, "I'll get you two trespassers if you come back...On my name. Yes, I, former...General...Wallace!"

The hilly plains that Kent and Sain traveled through were beautiful. The grass below was lush and green, and blossoms from cherry trees wafted through the wind. Sain smiled as the petals caught in his hair like soft snowflakes. They seemed to bother Kent though, who brushed them off as if they were violent insects. Apple trees were scattered about with the cherry, and Sain stared hungrily at the ripe fruit that hung on the branches. Though Sain was behind him, the red-haired knight knew what his companion was thinking. "Let me guess, you're hungry and wish ever so greatly to taste the sumptuous flavor of the fruit upon the trees?" "Why yes, Kent! However did you know!?" Kent sighed. "You said that the last time we passed here. And do you remember what I said?" Sain thought for a second, and recalled it with a perfect impression. "You said, 'No! Now shut your damn hole or I'll shove a lance down your throat!'" Kent slowed his pace a bit. "No...before that." "Oh, you said that we had business to take care of that was more important than eating fruit. But come on Kent! Be reasonable!" Sain begged. Kent looked back at him. "There's fruit in the village that we're headed to. We need not stop for this." "Oh! You're so hard to deal with! I'm going to get an apple!" Sain said, clearly determined. "Well I won't stop to wait for you." Kent replied, heading on.

Sain dismounted and mumbled things under his breath. "Stupid Kent, thinking he's the boss of me. He doesn't know what's best for him. I'll bring him an apple too. Then he'll see." The apple tree Sain selected was young, so its bright red apples were easier to reach. The trunk of the tree was embraced by a thin strand of ivy that spiraled around the plant, likely to kill it in a few years. Sain looked up to his right and found a beautiful, dewdrop sprinkled, ripe fruit. He licked his smiling lips and reached for it.

Kent continued over the plain, mumbling to himself. "Stupid Sain, thinking he knows better than me. He doesn't understand what's right. There are fruit sellers in the village. He'll see." Kent continued on his way until he heard a scream behind him. Sain. Kent quickly turned around and raced back to the apple tree. He found Sain, whose face was pale white, and eyes watery with fear. His hand was curled up by his chest, one of his fingers scratched and bleeding. He had clearly pulled his hand back suddenly. "H-h-hey K-Kent." Sain said. "Sain, what happened?" Kent asked. When Sain didn't respond, Kent looked around for clues. He looked down by Sain's left foot, and found a ripe, red apple in the grass, an arrow shaft sticking out of it. "What the-" "Oh! Sorry about that! Haha!" a voice called in interruption of Kent.

The owner of the voice sat up and made himself visible. He waved to them with his bow. "Wil!?" Kent exclaimed. "Kent! Hey man, it's been a while since I saw you! Why weren't you fellas at the bar party? Man, that was great! You should've seen what Lucious did!" Kent waked over to the young archer and asked, "Wil, what on earth were you doing?" "What? Oh, you mean the arrow. Haha, I was just practicing my aim." "While lying on your back?" "Well, I gotta challenge myself, you know?" Wil said. He then stood up and walked over to Sain. Putting his arm around the stiff knight's shoulders, he said "You ok there, Sain?" Sain said nothing, and Wil said "Alright, that's cool." He then got off and went to the apple at Sain's feet. He picked the fruit up and yanked the arrow free, spraying the fruit's juices everywhere. He then went back to Sain, opened his hand, and placed the apple in it. "There you go, buddy." Wil turned and grinned at Kent, who shook his head. "Wil, I won't even ask you why you decided to blindly shoot an apple down from the tree." Wil nodded. "Want to see me do it again?" "No thanks. Sain and I are rather busy at this particular time. Right, Sain?" Sain nodded slowly. "Come on, Sain, you got your apple. Let's go."

Sain blinked, and he let out a relived sigh. Instantly, he was back to his old self. "That's right, my fellow cavalier! You and I have business to attend to!" he said, and then took a bite out of the juicy apple. "Alright. Goodbye, Wil." Kent said, not bothering to mention that Sain had blood on his hand. "Yes! So long, Wil! May we meet again at a later date!" Sain added, his mouth full of fruit.

He then mounted his horse, and the two knights rode over the hills to the nearby town, where the sun was slowly setting, making the cloudy sky look like fire.


End file.
